Chicago Teachers Union President Handily Wins Re-Election

Chicago Teachers Union President Marilyn Stewart has stymied a comeback attempt by former President Deborah Lynch to win re-election.

Ms. Stewart, who unseated Ms. Lynch in 2004 by just 500 votes, won 76 percent of the vote to win a second three-year term. Nearly 21,000 of the union’s 32,000 members cast ballots in the May 18 election.

The affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers is expected to start negotiating a new contract with the district next month.

Ms. Stewart has said the last contract, negotiated by Ms. Lynch in 2003, gave principals leeway to fire nontenured teachers without due process. Over the years, that has led to the firing of more than 2,700 nontenured teachers, she contends. Ms. Stewart has vowed to bring back due process for nontenured teachers and to reduce health-care costs for teachers.

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